Jorge Jesus heaped praise on Benfica as they successfully qualified for the UEFA Europa League final on Thursday.
Benfica held Juventus to a scoreless draw in the second leg of their semi-final tie in Turin the first time Antonio Conte s men had played out a goalless stalemate in all competitions since November 2012.
The result was enough for the Portuguese champions to reach the final after their 2-1 win in the opening leg last week.
After falling to Chelsea in last season s decider, Benfica have another chance to claim silverware when they face Sevilla in the final at Juventus Stadium on May 14 and Jesus was in no doubt as to who deserved to advance.
Benfica earned the final because we played better in both legs, better than Juve in Lisbon and Turin, Jesus told…
Eredivisie outfit Groningen have sacked head coach Pieter Huistra with immediate effect after an unimpressive 2011-12 campaign.
Ambitious Groningen had to settle for 14th spot in the Eredivisie this season after winning only three of their last 17 league games, much to the dismay of the club s board, who have now decided to dismiss Huistra.
The 45-year-old was named Groningen coach ahead of the 2010-11 season, and guided the club to fifth spot in his first season in charge.
Nevertheless, he failed to steer the club to further success this term after the departure of stars such as Andreas Granqvist and Tim Matavz to Genoa and PSV respectively last season.
It is not yet known who will replace Huistra on the Dutch team s bench next season.
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Italy midfielder Andrea Pirlo regards qualification from their FIFA World Cup group stage as the minimum objective .
The 2006 World Cup winners made an excellent run to the UEFA Euro 2012 final under manager Cesare Prandelli.
And that has raised hopes ahead of this year s showpiece in Brazil, with Prandelli s squad possessing plenty of international experience.
They were handed a tough draw in Group D, though, with matches against Uruguay, England and Costa Rica awaiting them.
Pirlo who dismissed suggestions that the oppressive South American climate would affect his team more than any of the others – believes it would be a failure if his side did not progress through the group.
The 34-year-old Juventus playmaker told Sky Sport 24 : The minimum objective…
Fans of English, German and French clubs will be able to stand for home matches during men s UEFA club competitions in the 2022-23 season.
UEFA on Wednesday launched a programme to observe the use of standing facilities, which were previously only able to be used for domestic fixtures.
The governing body of European football will look at the use of standing in both domestic and international club games, with the aim of assessing if and under what conditions it may be reintroduced in UEFA competitions in a safe manner.
The Standing Facilities Observer Programme 2022-23 will initially be limited to clubs from the top five associations in the UEFA rankings where standing is already authorised and implemented at domestic level.
Fans supporting teams in th…